When will alternative therapies stop being “alternative”?

The number of people turning to alternative therapies to prevent and treat health problems has been growing gradually for years. These days, one in five Britons use them. Unfortunately, alternative therapies aren´t cheap. Last year, British people spent £450 million on this kind of treatment.

What many people don´t realise is that alternative treatments have become increasingly available on the NHS, the UK National Health Service, which provides free healthcare for everybody. There has been a change in the medical profession´s attitude towards alternative remedies. A recent survey shows that more than two-thirds of doctors believe alternative therapies should be available free on the NHS. Doctors are becoming more sympathetic to complementary medicine as research proves that certain treatments are effective. Complementary medicine is now available from around 10% of doctors´ surgeries, and the number is rising.

However, the NHS does not recommend all alternative therapies. They have classified treatments into three groups; recommendable, accepted but not recommendable, and rejected. Recommendable therapies have all been supported by scientific research. These include homeopathy, acupuncture, osteopathy and chiropractics.

Treatments that are accepted but not recommendable include aromatherapy, meditation and reflexology. Doctor can´t recommend them because they lack proper regulation. Doctors reject reiki and crystal therapies due to a lack of serious scientific research.

The availability of free alternative therapies differs across Great Britain. Each health authority decides how much of their budget to spend on this sector, usually basing their decision on the needs of the local community. The NHS has given money to some hospitals to employ alternative therapists, and it has opened five homeopathic surgeries in the UK.

Experts agree that the future is looking good for complementary medicine. Recently, the Department of Health announced plans to invest £18 million in the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. In the near future, acupuncture and homeopathy will no longer be considered “alternative”. They will become part of traditional medicine.